Talking Points

Bill O'Reilly: Foreign policy chaos

As you may know, former pro-basketball player Dennis Rodman is in North Korea again. This time with other former players entertaining the dictator Kim Jong Un and his murderous regime.

But what started out as a publicity stunt for Rodman has now turned very serious. This man, 45-year-old American Kenneth Bae has been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea for, quote, "Committing hostile acts." Mr. Bae is a Christian missionary from Washington State, was running a tour into North Korea when he was arrested in November of 2012. He has a wife and three children.

By all accounts this is a frame-up and Bae is being held illegally by the North Koreans. So today on CNN, Rodman was asked about the situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Are you going to take an opportunity if you get it --

RODMAN: Right, right.

CUOMO: -- to speak up for the family of Kenneth Bae and to say let us know why this man is being held? That this is wrong, that he is sick. If you can help Dennis will you take the opportunity?

RODMAN: A lot of -- I know the one thing about politics, Kenneth Bae did one thing. If you understand (inaudible) what Kenneth Bae did?

CUOMO: Yes.

RODMAN: Do you understand what he did?

CUOMO: What did he do? You tell me.

RODMAN: In this country.

CUOMO: You tell me what did he do?

RODMAN: No, no, no. You tell me. No, no, I don't give I don't give a rat's ass what the hell you think. I'm saying to you, look at these guys here. Look at them.

CUOMO: Yes but Dennis don't put it on them, don't use them as an excuse for the behavior that you're putting on yourself. Don't use these guys as a shield for you, Dennis.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Listen, listen. Listen.

RODMAN: They don't shield. I got it -- let me do this really? Really? I'm going to tell you one thing. People around the world, around the world, I'm going to do one thing, you guys behind the mike right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: Now there is no doubt that Rodman is a buffoon and is being used by brutal dictator who kills people at will. And there isn't much that the USA can do about it except to issue a warning not to travel in North Korea which it has. No American including Rodman should go to that terrible country.

On another front even more serious there is now chaos in Iraq. While the Obama administration is drawing down U.S. troops in Iraq, Vice President Biden said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am very optimistic about -- about Iraq. I think it's going to be one of the great achievements of this administration. You are going to see 90,000 American troops come marching home by the end of the summer. You're going to see a stable government in Iraq that is actually moving toward a representative government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: Wrong. Mr. Biden is wrong. Iraq is a mess. Sunni and Shia Muslims are fighting each other and al Qaeda is now all over the place in that country. This is a huge loss for American foreign policy and now we have a similar situation developing in Afghanistan.

With all the domestic problems we have in America, foreign policy is not really in the forefront. But President Obama needs to deal with overseas situations forcefully.

In Pakistan the doctor who helped us find bin Laden remains in prison on bogus charges. In Iran we have the nuke situation still unresolved. And in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon war may be looming. So Mr. Obama some work to do in 2014. And that's "The Memo."